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Saturday, 25 January 2014

Cleopatra at the Hope Theatre, Islington

It is rare
for Egyptologists to get to spend time with the people they study; yes, you can
meet them in museums across the planet, but on the whole (I've not been to
every museum), they tend to be rather unresponsive (wrapped up in their own little
worlds, you might say). So it was with great pleasure yesterday that I attended
a performance of the play "Cleopatra" at the Hope Theatre in
Islington. For two hours, I enjoyed the company of Cleopatra (Shelley Lang) in
Rome, as she used her charms to influence Brutus, Octavian, and Mark Antony for
her own ends. Pregnant with Julius Caesar's child, and awaiting a senate vote
that would allow him to marry her, Cleopatra was waiting impatiently for a
visit from her lover, and indeed, of any news from outside the palace walls. With
unease in the streets, talk of assassination, and prophecies of doom in the
marketplace, she would be waiting a long time. It was the Ides of March after
all...

A
fantastic, witty and intimate play, with fabulous performances from the entire
company, I'd recommend anyone make the trip to Islington, as I did, to enjoy
the company of one of history's most alluring and enigmatic superstars. My favorite
line? "Pharaohs don't make promises." I should include that in my
next edition of The Pharaoh, Life at
Court and on Campaign...

About Garry

I am an Egyptologist, Lecturer and Author, writing on ancient history, travel and heritage.

I am the author of The Pharaoh: Life at Court and on Campaign, The Egyptian Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Gods and Legends, and War and Trade with the Pharaohs: An Archaeological Study of Ancient Egypt's Foreign Relations.

I have taught Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, the University of Liverpool, the Egypt Exploration Society, and as a part-time tutor for Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education. As an archaeologist, I've worked for fieldwork projects in Egypt, Turkey, and the UK.

My work has appeared in The Independent, The Art Newspaper, Apollo Magazine, History Today, Timeless Travels, Current World Archaeology, Science Magazine, B.Inspired (Brussels Airline Magazine), and Showbiz Culture (SC Exhibitions Magazine), among others.